Burger Jones won't reopen near Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis

There will be at least one less place to get a burger fix in Minneapolis' Uptown area when restaurants start reopening June 1. Burger Jones has decided to move out of its location near the north shore of Bde Maka Ska.

Donna Fahs, the chief operating officer of Parasole Restaurant Holdings, which owns and operates the restaurant, said Burger Jones had been successful and that it signed a lease extension last year to remain at Calhoun Village.

But the management firm, Doran Commercial, had another business interested in the spot, Fahs said, and asked Parasole if they would like an out.

Already facing revenue losses over the state-order shutdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Fahs said Parasole "decided it was in our best interest to take the deal and walk away." She also cited minimum-wage increases coming this summer in Minneapolis.

Parasole announced in March that it had been sold to Minneapolis private-equity group FS Funds. The deal fell through just a few weeks later, as the pandemic forced the closure of bars and restaurants throughout the state, Fahs said.

About 40 employees worked at the Burger Jones location in Uptown, which opened in May 2009.

Doran Commercial did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

The Burger Jones in Burnsville is not affected by the decision.

Parasole had been expecting Gov. Tim Walz to allow it to reopen its suite of restaurants — which include Manny's Steakhouse, Salut Bar Americain and the Good Earth — on June 1 with restrictions.

But on Wednesday, Walz and health officials decided only to allow outside seating, putting its plans in disarray.

Most of the company's restaurants had planned to begin offering takeout and curbside service on May 26 with a skeleton staff, Fahs said.